Cognac : fewer shipments20 mai 2009Shipments of cognac fell by -12.6% over the year to April 2009. There has been an 8.9% drop in the Far East, -16.6% in North America and -12.2% in Europe. These shipments represent 381,046 hectoliters of pure alcohol.

Raynal site : takeover hope13 mai 2009The Distell group intends to take over the Raynal site which must receive approval from the Drire environment and research agency. 42 employees lost their jobs following the closure of the Cognac site when its brandy activity was transferred to Glasgow by the William Grant group. The last employees left the site on 28 April. 12 have found another job.

Vineyards hit by hailstones13 mai 2009Vineyards in the Cognac, Blaye, Graves and Médoc areas were hit by showers of hailstones in the evening of 11 May. 2000 hectares were affected between Rouillac and Blanzac. Losses range from 60 to 100%.

Hennessy reassures winegrowers8 mai 2009B. Peillon, the CEO of Hennessy, has written to winegrowers to reassure them following rumors concerning the takeover of the Moët Hennessy branch by Diageo.

Cognac and its lack of ambition8 mai 2009C. Ferrand has opened a boutique in La Rochelle dedicated to cognac called “Cognac only boutique”. He regrets the ambition shown by the eau-de-vie which sells only 4% of its 155 million bottles in France.

Arômes de cognac29 avril 2009Véronique Lemoine has written a book “Les arômes du cognac”, published by Féret.

A. de Fussigny : complaint against person or persons unknown29 avril 2009J.-D. Andreu, co-shareholder of the A. de Fussigny trading house, filed a complaint against person or persons unknown at the Public Prosecutor’s office in Angoulême on 26 March. His case concerns the refusal by several banks to make a loan to the company on the grounds that it has Russian associates.

Diageo setting its sights on LVMH wines and spirits23 avril 2009According to the Financial times and the Daily Telegraph, the world leader in wines and spirits Diageo is considering a 12 billion euros takeover of the Moët-Hennessy branch of LVMH which includes Hennessy cognac, Moët-et-Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Ruinart and Veuve-Cliquot champagnes, Glemorangie whisky, Belvedere vodka, etc. Both groups have denied the reports. Diageo already owns 34% of this branch. The two houses have had a distribution agreement for almost 20 years. Sales of Moët-Hennessy have fallen by 22% since January whereas Vuitton is progressing. The Charente Libre has a report on the great cognac houses and their owners : Martell (Pernod-Ricard), Remy-Martin (Rémy-Cointreau), Courvoisier (Fortine Brands) and Camus (Camus family).

Winegrowers and state aid23 avril 2009Europe is calling on 631 winegrowers in Charente and Charente-Maritime to pay back the financial aid received from France in 1998 to diversify their production. Brussels considers that this aid distorted competition in the wine markets. The angry winegrowers met in Cognac on Thursday 23 April.